Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus
The Birth of Venus
Author: Sarah Dunant
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on


Depicts the turbulent times of the Florentine Renaissance- a time when art was praised for both it's godliness and it's humanity. A time of free-thinking pervaded the city until a monk named Savonrola takes the city by storm- condemning Florence as Dante's Inferno. Strict laws are put in place to keep the citizens "godly." No fine clothes, no jewelry, and, no art.
Alessandra Cecchi is a young girl who has the choice of the convent or marriage. Devoted to her art in secret- she longs to have a connection with the mysterious painter who comes to paint her father's chapel. However, fate leads her to a marriage of convenience. While not in love, the man she marries is kind and allows her to practice her art. If only she had know of the dark secrets men could cloister in the night.... she may have made another choice. Riveting and beautifully written, this book if for those women who belive there is more to them than family and marriage.